Killing of Yoshihiro Hattori

Yoshihiro Hattori, a 16-year-old exchange student from Nagoya, Japan, was fatally shot on October 17, 1992, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hattori was staying with host family Richard and Holley Haymaker as part of the American Field Service exchange program. On the night of the shooting, Hattori and his host brother, Webb Haymaker, set out for a Halloween party but mistakenly went to the home of Rodney and Bonnie Peairs due to similarities in address and Halloween decorations.

After ringing the doorbell and receiving no answer at the front, the two teens went to a side door, where Bonnie Peairs opened it, saw Haymaker, and then Hattori approaching, and panicked, telling her husband to get his gun. Rodney Peairs, a 30-year-old supermarket butcher, emerged armed with a .44 Magnum revolver. According to accounts of the incident, Hattori said "We're here for the party" and continued moving toward Peairs; Peairs shouted "Freeze!" but Hattori, who had limited English proficiency and was not wearing his contact lenses, may not have understood or seen the weapon. Peairs shot Hattori once in the chest from about five feet away. Hattori died from blood loss in an ambulance shortly afterward.

Baton Rouge police initially declined to charge Peairs, reportedly viewing him as within his rights to shoot a suspected trespasser. Following protests from Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards and the Japanese consul in New Orleans, Peairs was charged with manslaughter. At the criminal trial, the defense argued that Hattori's movements were unusual and frightening, while the prosecution argued it was unreasonable for an armed, 6-foot-2-inch man to fear an unarmed, 130-pound teenager. After a seven-day trial, a jury acquitted Peairs following approximately three hours of deliberation; some courtroom spectators applauded the verdict.

In a subsequent civil trial, Peairs was found liable for Hattori's death, and the court awarded Hattori's parents US$650,000 in damages. Forensic evidence presented at the civil trial indicated Hattori had been moving slowly or not at all, with his arms away from his body, contradicting Peairs's account. The Peairses' appeals were rejected by the Louisiana Court of Appeals in 1995 and the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1996. Peairs's insurance covered $100,000 of the judgment, leaving him responsible for the remaining $550,000; as of 2022, the Hattoris reportedly had received only the initial $100,000.

The case drew international attention and prompted discussion of race relations and attitudes toward Asians in the United States, with some observers, including the Haymakers, suggesting Hattori's race contributed to Bonnie Peairs's reaction; Bonnie Peairs denied this. Hattori's parents and the Haymakers became gun control activists, meeting with President Bill Clinton in 1993 and supporting passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Webb Haymaker died by suicide in March 2022, reportedly having struggled for years with survivor's guilt.